The Brazilian defender joined for 4.5 million euros from Corinthians in 2012 and was sold on to Paris Saint-Germain for 35 million euros last summer. Even Erik Lamela proved to be good business for the Italian club, arriving for 21 million euros from River Plate in 2011 and joining Tottenham Hotspur for nine million euros more 12 months ago.

Those three transfers alone have earned Roma over 50 million euros in the past two summer transfer windows, allowing them to invest in the likes of Juan Manuel Iturbe, Davide Astori, Salih Ucan and Kostas Manolas this summer -- all while still making a profit.

La Gazzetta dello Sport credits the club's director of sport Walter Sabatini for the capital gains, recalling a statement he delivered three years ago when he arrived at the club. "The fans would be well advised not to become too attached to their players because in modern football, it's not always an advantage for players to stick around for a long time," he told a local radio station.

"Roma is a great opportunity for me," said the Greek defender in La Gazzetta. "It's just what I was looking for. I'm delighted and if [coach Rudi] Garcia wants me, I'm ready to play already on Saturday against Fiorentina. I've come here to win trophies."

The Greek defender may not be the last summer signing for Roma, though, with some of those transfer funds still left over for the likes of Lille's Marko Basa or River Plate's Eder Alvarez Balanta, the two latest names to be linked.

They face competition from Sampdoria for Balanta, according to the director of sport at his Argentine club, Leonel Gancedo. "I can confirm we've received an offer from Sampdoria for Balanta, but a deal has not yet been concluded," he told calciomercato.com. "As for Roma, we'll just have to wait and see."